Thorough explanation, read before you formulate an opinion.

Hey there,

Like everyone else, I have been bouncing around campaigns looking for a lag free environment. Even since launch, the game always has lagged at peak hours, many programmer buddies of mine seem to blame the particle effects from a lot of the abilities especially from the AoEs, a mass concentration of data to be transferred through too many campaigns is what seems to be the problem.

I. So instead of just trying to sift through out all of that code, write correct code, and then make the code work properly without breaking something else. Is it possible for the PVP team to just make one mass zone? Cyrodiil is an awkward size right now, its too small to have one Cyrodiil, have micro and macro scale PvP. With that said, it's no where near ready to implement the Tower portion and the PvP becomes stagnant.

Really it's boiled down to who brought more numbers to a non consequential situation, there's no punishment for dying, there's no reward for anything but AP farming each other at a gate. Emperor is just another skill line to farm, there is no real prestige in its titles. Everyone has the ability to res, there is little by way of rewarding tactical coordination by guilds because of the way the guild system is set up. Politics are non existent because there is no system that allows political coordination that is rewarding.

I look at the map and I see the map as the first problem. It's really big at first, but once you get a mount it's just trekking to the next area because everything in between is about useless as far as points and PvP goes. Other than completing dailies for some XP and dolmens; that do not drop PvP exclusive items. Heck, we do not even have PvP exclusive gear akin to "Master Weapons".

There is a potential for the solution, make Cyrodiil single a zone, that flags you for PvP like any other PvP zone would. Unfortunately, you can say it's not a "Battleground" but its really similar to other games battlegrounds, Alterac Valley comes to mind for me, it is what it is, not unique to the rest of Tamriel because there is a bunch of 'em. Truthfully the immersion is lost...

I realize there is a lot of things to consider and first I would think about Population balance and my answer is simple. Night capping, unorganized mindless zerging, and population imbalance is already a problem. I fear that the population will be handled in a manner to where there is none.

Rework the current guild meta, establish an alliance system, and develop a system that allows for organization between guilds of the like faction and most importantly rewards it. Make keeps more permanent and a coordinated effort to take down from a guild and let them serve as PVP guild housing, bolster the walls, make the keeps bigger and more intricate, as of now players use them as a gaggle house in which everyone gets to enjoy the scenery because of the lag.

With that said, population will always be a problem, it is now, will be later as well it's just the cycle and nature of MMOs.

Increase map and put in collision detection.

II. The big problem is that everyone is stacking on each other and they are not forced to spread out. It does not allow the use of superior and actual tactical play. Strategic methodology to taking keeps and PvPing is lost because in its current state its much more efficient to run in a massive ball and spam the easiest and simple skill available. It is not the problem of the skill, it is the problem that the game does not force players to spread out. The conjunction of particle effects plus data transfer overload is just an obvious example of how to purposely create tension on the client.

Its not a coding or tech secret, but to go explain further into my explanations, I am certain that if the map where increased and collision detection implemented this would allow for character models to be perfectly fluid in the game without reducing quality of particle effects for players who love high end graphics.

More so- this would force cooperative and tactical game play, because the game spreading out the concentration of players would help the tech that supports the client and the engine. It would also add a dimension of meaningful play; rewarding true tacticians, generals, soldiers, and coordination. This would completely change how players strat Cyrodill.

Example:

A fight broke out on one of the bridges, players form a DK/Templar sword and board phalanx blocking entry to the direct route to the next keep. (I have Sej and Arrius in my head). This Spartanesque wall of wonder is not going to be broken easy, attacking side has to make the decision to move south to the other bridge to go around and make proper tactical movement or they're going to be shot to death by a Bowblade team on the other side.

Scouts, Team metas, Small skirmish groups, zerg buster groups, etc have just been given a singular purpose in Cyrodiil because of collision detection. Collision detection in Cyrodiil would FORCE players to move and completely think about how they do things in Cyrodiil. Right now because of the absence of collision detection there are nothing but big balls of particle effect that completely shut down the idea of real level tactical play.

Because running in a big ball of stupid is the easiest option in Cyrodiil current state. Why run around the other side when field Generals can't force you to play the chess game? Lack of CD in Cyrodiil is one of it's top three problems, because CD will make big balls of stupid go away. Big balls of stupid can't aoe flag spam because they all wouldn't fit in the keep if there was CD.

CD would allow for new squad, company, battalion, brigade, and other unit metas; it would completely change the dynamic of people and make the map strategic. Giving theory-crafters even more to play with, giving smaller groups more of a purpose and eliminate the high concentration of 2 shot big balls of same skill spam that is putting immense stress on the system due to particle effects and coding.

III. One map, CD, and reevaluating the level of prestige in Cyrodiil.

Emperor in its current state is just a stat boost, significant and prestige-less stat boost that diminishes its prestige. I am talking from the view point that we're just looking at pixels moving across a screen, its obtain-ability is as easy as AP trading. Log on while everyone sleeps, power through the map, profit. It's really easy when there is little to no resistance when a server is pre-scouted.

I do not have a certain fix to this other than it just should be changed to Champion of Faction, because the idea of a player being Emperor when they dont even have a throne to sit on does not make a bit of sense from a storytelling point of view. Right now, a Abnur's niece holds the power until Mannimarco takes the tower. The prestige of Emperor should be greater than a game of farm time.

The lack of flash for ranks also really makes me wonder, right now ranks are just a weird little symbol and a color unlocked, seems to me that earning ranks is a bit lackluster, I rather worry about KDR on an addon then care about ranks. Only reason I want Legate is for the black color. Again, rank is just farm to win in it's current meta you can witness groups that are farming just for the AP. Defeats the purpose of "earning" rank.

Character kill caps (killing a player so often stops reward), ap based on rank, and blocking farming are options. If this stuff halts, then the huddle ball skill spam stops, which if CD where in place, wouldn't be viable anyway. The map is kinda small for CD, so if the map was bigger and just one map, these things would be more fluid.But PvP stats would make sense too.

IV. PvP stats for PvPers..

We have current gear that has reduced PvP damage but the traits on it are less than desirable. Instead of making a whole new bunch of gears, allow us to layer stats from current equipment onto new armor, treat that stat as a secondary stat that will only work in Cyrodiil.

Ex.

Buffer of the Swift:

Shoes "Well Fitted"

Torugs Pact

Shoes "Divines"

Buffer of the Swift has "Well Fitted" no one wants that,
but my Torugs Pact has Divines

I want the %5 player damage bonus.

We take the PvP stats, destroy the piece, layer the desire 4 piece to replace the current weapon damage with 5% reduction from players.

Now I got me a real piece of PVP gear.

Only works in Cyrodiil, as it should. Some of the pieces in Cyrodiil and in the open world are lack luster because they have goofy traits on them that no one wants. It's not imbalanced if it's a per set bonus or piece swap for something else to be desired.

People would really be able to wiggle stats for a greater optimized build thus bringing more to their group.

V. Summary

It's no secret that the lag is a problem. While I do not care for the smearing or name calling, I do care that there is lag in Cyrodiil because of it's current design. It's a performance issue that is taking it's toll on every players rig who walks into Cyrodiil. The problem is in the load intensity of the flashy skills and how they are functioning with player stacking. I believe that if there was one Cyrodill that itself would remove a lot of the load on the hardware, but Cyrodiil would have to be expanded to compensate for the numerical influx of players on one map. I also believe that collision detection would force players to operate differently in Cyrodiil which would be a complete benefit to the system, because it would force players to be cooperative and use tactical decision making. I believe the reason players form in big balls of spam is because how AP currently benefits them, thus taking away from a lot of the prestige and the point to pvping. To complement the new style, being able to manipulate gear that operates on a greater scale would only benefit the potential of one large Cyrodiil with collision detection, harder to gain AP standards which encourages people to fight equal level comp, the understanding and absolute use of tactics and coordination.

I think the problem with Cyrodiil in it's current state, is its current state; it's working against itself and its apparent.

Thanks for reading,

Share your ideas.

-TheBones